Exercise 1: Identify Paragraph Elements
Read the following sample narrative paragraph. Underline the topic sentence, highlight transition words, and identify which type of organizational pattern is used.
Topic – An Act of Kindness
I will always remember my first day of junior high school because of the kindness a fellow student showed towards me. It was a scary day because I had gone to elementary school in a different city, so when I started junior high, I didn’t know anyone at my new school. I woke up especially early that morning, and after getting ready and eating breakfast, I walked to the bus stop. Other students were there, but I didn’t know them. I was too shy and nervous to introduce myself, and none of them talked to me. When the bus came, we all boarded. Stop after stop, the bus doors opened, more students got on, but nobody sat next to me. We finally arrived at school, and I looked nervously at my printed schedule. I found my first class, then went to the next, and the next. At 12:00, it was time for lunch. The outdoor tables were all full, and I couldn’t bring myself to sit at a table full of students who all knew each other. Instead, I sat on a bench by myself and began to eat my sandwich. Suddenly, I noticed that another girl was sitting next to me. Her name was Mya, and she was also a new student. We talked during the entire lunch period, and after lunch, it turned out that we had English class together. I was so relieved to have made a new friend, and it turned out that Mya would be my good friend through junior high and high school. She is still my friend now in college. Her small yet kind act of friendship towards me is something I will never forget. Now, when I see someone alone and with no one to talk to, I always make an effort to give that person a friendly smile and start up a conversation.
- Answer the question:
1) The kind of organizational pattern is : chronological order.
Exercise 2: Write Your Own Paragraph (Choose either topic one or topic two).
a) 1 : Write a narration about a challenging class you have taken at the university.
b) 2 : Write a narration about a special trip or vacation you have taken.
l Topic n°01 : Write a narration about a challenging class you have taken at the university.
Coming into University, I always considered English (writing in particular) and frensh to be my most challenging class. I never really enjoyed reading or writing and would only do so if I had to for a class. Other than that, I never had the motivation to read or write in my spare time. After this first semester, I have gained an appreciation for writing and put a lot of effort into each essay I wrote. I noticed that each essay got easier for me to write and I got better grades each time. I adopted a new writing practice that works for me and the simple fact that I enjoyed what I was writing about has made me a better writer. Back in high school, if I was assigned an essay I would dive right into writing before making a brainstorm or any kind of plan. To be honest, it worked for me in high school but would never work in college. My writing practice has now changed drastically. Before I even think about writing my essay,I face health problems and depression besides that’s I began to face time management issues, which exacerbated the emergence of symptom of fatigue caused by changing circumstances and the amount of information that I was receiving in lectures that required focus and personal effort, unlike the rest of the preparatory years... I would waste hours a day before making one that’s satisfy me , However my writing process now changed drastically.